A man from Acton has run from John O’Groats to Land’s End (known as JOGLE) to raise money for Diabetes UK - and believes he is the first person with type 1 diabetes to do this.
Josh Hinton, a Social Values Manager, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11.
Josh, who celebrated his 26th birthday during the challenge, started the run on 1 April and finished on 27 April, running 1,600 km, an average of 1.4 marathons every day with just shy of 16,000m of uphill running.
Josh says:
“The challenge was amazing. It took me to highs and lows I didn’t know I could experience and really tested my resilience every running hour.
“It was also beautiful to see how the challenge directly affected people - with supporters running alongside me and finishing their own challenges. We had first half marathons, first 30Ks, first marathon distances, plus some personal best times as well! It was a really wonderful experience."
People with type 1 diabetes cannot produce insulin. About 8% of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes, and it is the most common type of diabetes in children and young adults. Type 1 diabetes is treated by daily insulin doses - taken either by injections or via an insulin pump.
Josh adds:
“I've been fortunate enough to have reasonable control of the condition since diagnosis, but doing the JOGLE run was still a challenge! I’ve very lucky in that I had a lot of help with planning and a group of friends who took turns to drive the support campervan.
“Diabetes UK does a great job of empowering people with diabetes to take control of their condition and I'm hoping that apart from fundraising, my efforts will inspire other people to push themselves.”
Jill Steaton, Diabetes UK Head of South East Coast and London, said:
“Josh is amazing. We have all been inspired and impressed at the challenge he set himself and how brilliantly he completed every day.
“Aside from his personal achievement, the money raised by Josh will help fund ground-breaking research, care services and campaigns that can change the lives of those living with diabetes.”
Josh has a JustGiving page at Josh Hinton is fundraising for Diabetes UK (justgiving.com)
